Rio de Janeiro’s Trump Towers Are Filled With Greenery on Every Floor

As part of the redevelopment of Rio de Janeiro for the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games, Alfalo & Gasperini Arquitetos have designed five glittering garden-lined Trump Towers. With lushly planted terraces on each floor, the complex appears like a blur of green from afar. The green towers are part of a $10 billion plan to revitalize the Porto Maravilha neighborhood - other features include a new public transport system, bicycle paths, and other infrastructure improvements.

The mixed-use Trump Towers would bring shops, restaurants, wellness centers and office space to the area near the waterfront. Each of the towers will be around the same size, but their facades feature varying triangular patterns that cut away to reveal the green terraces within. At night, the lights from the building’s interior will create a green glow as the terraces are illuminated.

The Trump Towers will also feature a rainwater capturing system and an on-site wastewater treatment facility. The zig zag triangular patterns of the façade were inspired by the Copacabana boardwalk and shoreline. But the patterns don’t just serve as ornamentation – they also function as an integrated louver system that reflects sunlight while allowing just the right amount of daylight to illuminate the interiors. The Trump Towers will add to Rio’s skyline, and serve as the pinnacle of the massive redevelopment along Francisco Bicalho Avenue.